June 12, 2012

Now that there were into June, it's fair to say that summer has arrived. For Power Smart Pricing customers that means that hourly price patterns will nudge some hours above the flat residential rate that most Ameren customers are paying. Each year we like to develop a guide that can help program participants get the most out of Power Smart Pricing by shifting their usage away from the highest hourly prices.

It really can be simple. Avoid the usage of your biggest electrical appliances, like your air conditioning, during weekday afternoons and you'll take advantage of lower prices and save money all year round.

May 24, 2012

Over the past few months Retail Electricity Suppliers and voter referendums on the municipal aggregation of electricity pricing has created a lot of new options for your household electricity. It's important to understand these new options to be sure to get the best deal for your home, and since most customers around Illinois are not on Power Smart Pricing there has been some confusion among our participants about how to properly compare these new choices.

How can I compare savings with Power Smart Pricing to offers from other electricity suppliers?
Since Power Smart Pricing started in 2007, participants have saved an
average of 16 percent on their total electricity bills compared with
what they would have paid on the standard residential rate. However, if
you look at the electricity supply portion of the bill only,
participants have saved an average of 25 percent on electricity supply
with Power Smart Pricing. The program does not impact other line items
under delivery services or taxes, which remain the same as they would be
on the standard rate. In terms of dollar amounts saved, customers who
would have paid an average of $100 per month on the standard rate
(including all portions of the bill) have saved nearly $200 per year
with Power Smart Pricing.

This year you may have noticed companies other than Ameren Illinois
offering discounted electricity supply rates in your area. These
companies are referred to as Retail Electric Suppliers. Retail Electric
Suppliers are companies that have received approval from the Illinois
Commerce Commission to offer an alternative competitive price for the
electricity supply that you use. Their offers cover the supply portion
of your bill, but like Power Smart Pricing, do not change the delivery
services portion of your bill. As a Power Smart Pricing customer, you
need to be aware of the following in order to make an informed decision
when considering switching to a Retail Electricity Supplier:

If you sign up for a Retail Electric Supplier, you will be removed
from Power Smart Pricing. At this time, you cannot enroll in both.

Savings messages provided by Retail Electric Suppliers are not
estimates of savings compared with the prices you pay with Power Smart
Pricing. They usually reference how much you might save compared with
the Ameren Illinois standard BGS residential rate. For more information
about electricity supply prices with Power Smart Pricing and the BGS
residential rate, go to powersmartpricing.org/about-hourly-prices/.

Savings messages in offers from Retail Electric Suppliers usually
refer to the electricity supply portion of the bill only. To make an
“apples-to-apples” comparison of these offers with the savings you are
getting with Power Smart Pricing, log in to the online bill comparison
tool at www.powersmartpricing.org and look at your percent saved on the
electricity supply portion of your bill only, or your total dollar
amount saved. Since 2007, Power Smart Pricing participants have saved an
average of 25 percent on electricity supply costs compared with the
Ameren Illinois standard BGS rate.

If you switch to a Retail Electric Supplier, you can switch back to
Power Smart Pricing once you switch back to utility supply service.

What is municipal aggregation and how does it impact Power Smart Pricing participants?
In addition to the choices available to individuals, government
entities such as municipalities and unincorporated counties may opt to
negotiate rates on behalf of an entire community. This is referred to as
municipal aggregation, and the government entity is known as a
government aggregator (GA).
Government aggregation can be set up as “opt in,” meaning that
residents need to sign up in order to be placed on the rate negotiated
by the community. In other cases, it can be set up as “opt out,”
meaning that residents will automatically be placed on the aggregation
rate unless they request otherwise. In order for the government
aggregator to pursue an opt-out strategy, the community must first hold a
referendum. If the referendum passes, the GA can then negotiate a rate
on behalf of all residents.

The government aggregator of each community will be responsible for
deciding whether or not to include Power Smart Pricing participants in
municipal aggregation, and if participants are included, whether they
would need to opt in or opt out. This means that we do not know in
advance which Power Smart Pricing customers will need to opt out of
municipal aggregation if they wish to stay on Power Smart Pricing.

It is very important to read any correspondence provided by the GA or
Ameren Illinois to find out how municipal aggregation could impact you
as a Power Smart Pricing customer. This correspondence will let you know
whether you need to take any action in order to either stay with Power
Smart Pricing or move to the municipal aggregation rate.

May 1, 2012

Hourly prices have started out much lower in 2012 than 2011. A mild winter combined with an extended heat wave in the month of March has led to low hourly electricity prices due to less demand for both electricity as well as a natural gas. Of course this is only an indication of how things appear at the moment. Prices will ultimately go up with the temperatures. So now is a good time to get accustomed to checking the prices especially on weekday afternoons. Happy saving!

Other communities around Illinois have achieved great energy savings through these programs.
The 61 participating Decatur businesses save 18.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity each year, which is enough savings to meet the demands of 1,870 single-family homes for a year.

The ActOnEnergy program now has $19.2 million worth of incentives available, which has increased from $3 million when it started in 2008. So be sure to get in on the act and your community might be recognized as one of Illinois' "Most Progressive Cities."

As the approved administrator of the Power Smart Pricing program offered by Ameren Utilities of Illinois, CNT Energy provides personalized information, services and tools to help program participants manage their electricity costs.